Supreme Devotion Painting

Supreme Devotion Painting

Palm Leaf Etching,

India

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The simple leaves of a palm tree lay the foundation for an incredible art form that can be found in Raghurajpur, in Odisha. The leaves are stuck together and then painstakingly etched to create an incredible Indian mythological mnemonic. Native to Raghurajpur in Odisha, this art has deep layers of creativity and beauty.

Product Index

Palm leaves were used as writing materials in South Asia and in Southeast Asia dating back to the 5th century BCE, and possibly much earlier.

Process of Making

Rows of same sized palm leaves are first arranged together and sewn. These neatly sewn palm leaves are then folded in such a way so as to make a pile. The paintings are first etched out, which means that the designs and images are neatly etched on the surface of the palm leaf using a sharp pen or stylus like object.Etching is done within lines using an iron pen on leaf strips.A paste made of bean leaves, charcoal made of burnt coconut shells, til oil and turmeric is rubbed on the etching that hi...